Prosecuting counsel Roger Thomas QC said New Yorker Almahri then took his ex’s car and drove to Heathrow Airport, then boarded a flight to Qatar before eventually ending up in Tanzania.

The court has been told the defendant admits killing Ms Aburas – who he met through an online dating site – but he claims diminished responsibility after saying he had heard ‘the voice of god telling him to kill’.

The Crown rejects those claims and argues that the defendant had previously tried to blackmail Ms Aburas by threatening to post naked photographs of her online.

Nadine Aburas was found dead in a hotel room (Picture: Wales News Service)

Mr Thomas said: ‘The room had been locked and there was a do not disturb sign placed on the door. He (the defendant) fled the scene with the only conceivable intention of avoiding responsibility and the consequences of his own actions.

‘At the time of the killing, Mr Almahri claims he was suffering from an abnormality of mental function. He claims he was in a psychiatric state of hearing the voice of god telling him to kill Ms Aburas.

‘The prosecution reject that claim. We submit quite simply this was the killing of a defenceless woman by a jealous and dangerous man.’

Mr Thomas said Almahri, who the court heard may be aged either 45 or 50, met Ms Aburas on internet dating site MuslimMatch.com in 2013.

‘They became friendly and contacted each other regularly by telephone, text and Skype,’ he added.

‘The friendship developed and though her family can’t recall the exact date, it’s clear Mr Almahri visited Nadine on two or three occasions in 2013 and she travelled to New York to see him in the summer of 2014.

‘There can be no doubt their friendship developed into an intimate relationship.’